M&StL Passenger Equipment
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Baggage car 400, 401 & 402
These were made from WWII troop sleepers.
For some history of the cars visit http://www.mrrwarehouse.com/
Business Car "Twin Cities"
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The 1916 steel Pullman heavyweight business car, Twin Cities, has been restored and is located at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke. The tiger oak and mahogany interior has been restored down to the RCA radio and the speedometer above the window. It is currently painted Pullman green with a black roof and trucks. 09/24/2003 Hello All, My name is Steve, (This is in regards to the Business car Twin Cities) I've lived and grown up around trains in Roanoke VA, my entire life. You may ask what does a person in Roanoke have to offer the M&STL web site. Well, over the years I've been involved in many restoration projects and owned many pieces of railroad equipment, from motor cars to pullman cars. The reason I write is to tell you all about a passenger car that has always meant something to me while growing up. To me this car for the longest time was known as the "IT" car as it came of the Illinois Terminal Railway after a merger with the then Norfolk and Western railroad. I never thought much of it other than the fact that it was an observation car of which in Roanoke (HQ of the N&W) there where always a dozen or so on hand, and I'd always wanted one of my own. In the last couple of years our local museum (The Virginia Museum of Transportation) moved to take an aggressive effort to restore pieces of it's rolling stock as maintenance had slipped. New leadership in the restoration shop led to a nice restoration of the once "IT" car to be discovered that it was the Twin Cities business car of the M&STL. It was discovered when the sandblasting was being done removing a lime green of the faded Illinois Terminal on the sides of the car and the name was revealed, in yellow gold on a field of Pullman green. The car has since been mostly restored inside and out painted in Pullman Green. The inside of the car is still original as built and in nice condition. I've collected models of the M&STL and have been a fan for some time, along with my home town favorites of the Virginian and the Norfolk & Western. I was very excited to find out that a passenger car that has been in my life for some time had come from a railroad that I've always been fond of. I've been working on restoring many full size railroad projects and have been happy to see one of the M&STL pieces discovered and saved to be enjoyed by others. If any one has questions regarding this car feel free to write! (Pullmanpolo@Hotmail.com) Also please note that the Virginia Museum of Transportation does have this car but does not list very many of it's pieces of equipment on there web page. Last I saw the Twin Cities it was beside a passenger platform with the J-class 611 nosed up near it's brass railing, not bad company. The A-class 1218 is right there with it now as well. The Twin Cities Business car is one of the first pieces of equipment when leaving the main building of the museum and entering the collections yard behind. I'm working with a friend to take some pictures for so as I may be able to share them with your web site, as I'm currently serving our country overseas with the US NAVY in the South Pacific on the Island of Okinawa Japan, I can't take the pictures my self or share the photo's that I've taken over the years of the car. Hope to have them soon and I'll send them in! Enjoy Steve Smith - Roanoke / Salem VA - email: Pullmanpolo@hotmail.com |
GE-25 as a sprayer
For
a clearer copy of the text click here
Mechanical Drawings I have blueprints of various parts for the GE gas electric units.
Rear view of a passenger train in Albert Lea
Apri 5, 1957 Passenger Train Schedule
New Equipment for M.& St.L. Railroad (North Star)
This is from the Franklin, MN newspaper dated thursday, January 16, 1930.
The Minneaplois & St. Louis Railroad has placed in service new parlor cars on their "North Star Limited" between the Twin Cities and St. louis, and also three new gas-electric cars are now operating between Winthrop, New Ulm, and Storm Lake; and between Mason City and Oskaloosa; and Oskaloosa and Peoria.
The new parlor-cafe cars were built in the Cedar Lake shops of the company at Minneapolis, and have all the appointments of a lounge and club car. The lounge compartment is eguipped with radio, writing desks, luxuriously upholstered, individual chairs, and davenports, and has a seating capacity of 20 persons. The dining compartment has a seating capacity of 18, and regular dinning car meals and lunches are served. The cars are brilliantly lighted from overhead, supplemented by wall lamps convenietly placed for reading. The interior finish is mahogany and the exterior standard Pullman color.
The parlor-cafe cars are in service on the "North Star Limited" between St. Paul, Minneapolis, and St. Louis. The new gas electric cars are to replace steam passenger trains, Nos. 28 and 29 on this railroad between Wintrop and Storm Lake; steam trains 9 and 10 between Mason City and Oskaloosa; and steam trains 19 and 20 between Oskaloosa and Peoria.
They are the last word in gas-electric equipment, of all steel construction, length 75 feet, having mail compartment of 15 feet, and baggage compartment of 22 feet, and the passenger compartment has a seating capacity of 32 passengers. The seats are finished in gray Spanish leather with spring cushions and are exceedingly comfortable. The cars are equiped with hot water heating and electric lighting systems. The engine is of 300 horse power, gas-electric type, occupying a 14 foot compartment, and has sufficient power to haul additional coaches. The passenger compartment is finished in mahogany and the exterior of the cars is laquer. They are capable of a speed of 65 miles per hour and have a total weight of 133,000 lbs. They were built by the St. Louis Car Company at a cost of $62,000.
Typed by Brian brigayle.com@mail.tds.net in the M&StL Digest No.130
The M&StL acquired five Pullman-Standard troop sleepers as follows:
Pullman troop sleeper No. 8834 was acquired during 1948, converted to a bunk-kitchen car in 3-48, painted bright red with a black roof and renumbered X-839.
Pullman troop sleepers Nos. 9114 and 9214 acquired in 1950 became baggage cars 400 (conv 7-50) and 401 (conv 12-50) respectively. M&StL converted 401 to MOW bunk car X-910 in 4-58. M&StL converted 400 to MOW dining car X-919 in 10-60. 9114/400/X-919 was retired by C&NW 10-73.
Pullman Troop Sleeper 9281 was converted to baggage car 402 5-51. It received gas stove 1-58.
The Pullman troop sleepers converted to baggage cars 400, 401 and 402 replaced wooden baggage cars with the same numbers originally built by the Iowa Central in 1869, 1877 and 1883 respectively.
A second heater car was built by the M&StL in 4-52 using Pullman troop sleeper No. 9107. (The first heater car was built from a Lehigh Valley baggage car.) The work was probably done at Cedar Lake and included the installation of one 18 KW engine-generator set, two Clarkson vapor steam generators, two 1250 gallon water tanks and two 1750 gallon water tanks. A separate 5'-6" compartment for an operator provided some protection from the noise. Except that some windows were blanked there was very little change in the external appearance of this car after rebuilding. The M&StL originally numbered this heater car 501. After the merger, the CNW re-numbered 501 into the M&StL MOW number system as X-978, probably in early 1962.
Found the following note in C&NW records. 405, 406, 407 and 451 are M&StL 1014, 1018, 1000 (aluminum box cars) and GE-30 respectively.
"conversion of 5 ex-M&StL baggage cars to work equipment tool cars at California Avenue.
Assigned
402 X300757 11-14-62 Madison B&B
405 X300758 11-14-62 Hudson Dist. Line Mgr.
406 X300759 11-14-62 Winona B&B
407 X300760 11-14-62 Worthington, MN Roadmaster
451 X300761 11-14-62 Altoona B&B;(retired 10-60) existing interior
fixtures stripped to replace obsolete work equipment."
451 was still in Spooner 2 years ago (1998). At that time it was leased to the US Postal Service.
Gene Green - Post #546 Yahoo! Groups MSTL List
Just found some more info on the origins of baggage cars 404 and 450. Both were originally owned by Minnesota, Dakota & Pacific. (That's the M&StL line in South Dakota.) These cars began life as baggage and mail cars. There was also a number 16 built at the same time by ACF. 17 was renumbered 672 Feb. 10, 1910; 18 re#d 673 Jan. 7, 1910; and 16 re#d 671 Dec. 10, 1909. It is interesting that the margin note indicates "acquired by M&StL 1-1-12 from the MD&P" yet they were renumbered by M&StL before that time. Makes me wonder if they ever actually carried Minnesota, Dakota & Pacific lettering. Probably not. Anyway, all this trivia is worth a tiny fraction of a good photo. Can anyone help?
Gene Green - Post #604 Yahoo! Groups MSTL List
Baggage cars 404 and 450 were both built by ACF 10-1906.
404 - originally numbered 18, rebuilt in 1920 to add a steel underframe, got electric lights in 1923, then baggage/mail 673, converted to baggage car T-404 in July 1936.
450 - originally numbered 17, Vapor steam heat in 1917, rebuilt in 1920 to add a steel underframe, got electric lights in 1921, then baggage/mail 672, converted to baggage car T-450 in July 1936.
While on the topic of passenger cars, Railway Prototype Cyclopedia, Vol. 5, P.O. Box 451, Chesterfield, MO 63006-0451, has a good article on WWII Troop Sleepers and Kitchen Cars that includes a good photo of M&StL former troop sleeper 400 in dark paint (black & white photo).
Gene Green - Post #601 Yahoo! Groups MSTL List
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